23 July 2026

The Federal Quality Commission (FQC) published recommendations following the incidents at the University Hospital Zurich's Department of Cardiac Surgery between 2016 and 2020. It recommends that the cantons make the inclusion of hospitals on the hospital lists conditional upon the comprehensive and regular disclosure of interests of senior medical, nursing and therapeutic staff and the effective prevention of resulting conflicts of interest. The FQC further recommends that the strategic and operational governing bodies of hospitals and other healthcare institutions ensure that research projects and experimental treatments are conducted in compliance with the applicable legal and ethical requirements. This includes, in particular, approval by the competent ethics committee or a review board, a careful benefit-risk assessment, comprehensive patient information and voluntary participation, as well as complete documentation and monitoring of the study.

For more information, see here.